1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective devices for attachment to wheelchairs and, more particularly, to a shield for attachment to a wheelchair armrest that extends over the arm of the occupant and forward of the forearm to protect the occupant's fingers, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Upper body supports for wheelchair occupants have been proposed for attachment to wheelchair armrests. These supports each have a backwall that protrudes upwardly from a base in general alignment with the back of the wheelchair. Perpendicular to and forward from the backwall is a sidewall that also protrudes upwardly from the base and outside of the armrest. Thus, the forearms of the wheelchair occupant rest within the areas defined by the back and sidewalls of each of the supports.
These supports, however, leave much to be desired with respect to protecting the occupant's forearms from cuts, abrasions and the like through collisions with walls and other obstacles. Injuries of this nature are particularly dangerous for elderly wheelchair occupants not only because older persons have very frail skin that is easily damaged, but also because the elderly frequently are prescribed blood thinner medications that may aggravate frail skin conditions. Further, in this respect because of age, older people usually do not enjoy the good vision and quicker reflexes of the young, thereby increasing the likelihood of collision injuries.
Electrically powered wheelchairs introduce a further and potentially more serious source of injury. For instance, the manually operated motor controls that regulate the speed and direction of powered wheelchairs usually are mounted on the front of the occupant's right armrest. On approaching an obstacle, the wheelchair occupant, and particularly an elderly occupant, may not be able to manipulate the controls swiftly enough to avoid jamming an exposed and unprotected hand against an obstacle. As a consequence, the collision might break one or more of the occupant's hand or finger bones.
Consequently, there is a need for significantly improved protection for wheelchair occupants' arms and hands.